Hanna Andersson
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 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Gun Denhart, Tom Denhart |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon, USA |
Key people | Aimée Lapic (CEO) |
| Products | Children's clothing |
| Owner | L Catterton |
Number of employees | 400[1] |
| Website | www.hannaandersson.com |
Hanna Andersson is a Portland, Oregon-based corporation that specializes in children's apparel. The company operates online and mail-order in the United States and ships to almost 200 countries around the world.
In 1983, Swedish-born Gun Denhart founded the company in Portland, Oregon, in the garage of her home.[2] The company began as an exclusively mail-order catalog retailer; Hanna Andersson mailed out its first catalog in 1984.[3] Co-founder Tom Denhart would remain the company's creative director until 1995.[4] The first brick-and-mortar store opened in 1990, but now operates as an online only retailer.[5]
In 1995, the Denharts hired Phil Iosca as CEO/President. He refocused the company on young children's apparel.[6] Then, in 2001, the Denharts sold the company for $175 million.[7] Following the initial sale, Hanna Andersson was sold to a succession of private equity firms and purchased by Sun Capital Partners. Gun Denhart remained on the Board of Directors until 2007. When Iosca retired in 2010, then-COO Adam Stone was named the new CEO of the company.[8][9]
In August 2016, Hanna Andersson was sold to L Catterton for an undisclosed amount. The company's executive team was kept intact.[10] In 2022, Aimée Lapic[11] was named as the CEO of Hanna Andersson.[12]
Philanthropy and company policies
The company has received notable attention over the years due to Denhart's advocacy of progressive workplace policies. Denhart's initiatives included family-friendly employment policies in support of work-family balance and the charitable donation of 5% of the company's pre-tax profits to groups working for children's welfare.[13] These efforts, along with Denhart's other work, led the Oregon Commission of Women to name her the "Woman of Achievement" for 2013.[14] The company's "HannaHelps" program also garnered attention for awarding yearly grants to schools and non-profit groups serving children throughout the United States.[15]